敬老の日
by thisloser
Summary: At thirty-seven Kakashi is starting to feel old.


Lately, his days and nights had passed in such invariable predictability, one following the other, preceding the next, in a seemingly endless line of paperwork and meetings, interrupted only by the occasional wedding, that Kakashi didn't even notice the date until the day was almost over. He'd been about to jot down a note for the next day and, absentmindedly, had flipped open his calendar. Now he stopped, pen hovering over the little square marked September 16th, eyes on the one before it. Today. Respect- for- the -Aged- Day. September 15th.

"Huh," he said to himself. He'd simply forgotten. Not that he'd ever paid much attention to his birthday – he'd never marked it on his calendar, never made any plans – but others usually did. Only this time, apparently, he'd been forgotten.

Kakashi sighed. It wasn't that he minded all that much or that his feelings were hurt… It was just… unprecedented.

Somehow he'd gotten used to the terrible surprise parties his friends had thrown for him the previous years. They'd stopped after he'd become Hokage, of course, but by then he had students who showed up bearing presents and well-wishes, not to mention groveling subordinates and certain old friends who'd never taken no for an answer.

He leaned back in his creaking leather chair, the material cool against his back, and looked up at the ceiling. Was this truly such a big surprise? After all, during the course of the last year almost all his friends, colleagues and students had – as if on cue – gotten married or had babies, frequently both and in quick succession. This haphazard group of people who'd graduated with him or worked under him had transformed into a cluster of couples and families. Now Kakashi was standing among them, forlorn like a kid who'd lost a game of musical chairs.

The silly analogy made his mouth quirk into a self-deprecating smile. _You've gotten old, Hatake Kakashi, _he told himself, _old and sappy…_

But he couldn't deny the small pang of loneliness he felt, thinking about Tenzô's wedding, about his conversation with Naruto the other day. Naruto… Lately the kid – and Kakashi still couldn't help thinking about him that way although his student had been the Hero of Konoha for what? Was it five years now? Anyway, for the past three weeks Naruto had been stumbling around like a sleepwalker. His bloodshot eyes unable to focus on anything, he was on light duty until further notice.

Meaning until little Bolt managed to sleep through the night.

And wasn't that a scary realization, that your once (sort of) cute students were _parents_ now… On some level, Kakashi couldn't quite believe it. But still, seeing Naruto with his baby son in his arms even someone as cool and aloof – Gai's words – as him had to admit he was touched.

_Sensei, Kushina-san, I wish you could see your family now…_

_This is what we were fighting for._

A veritable conga line of sappy thoughts like that ran through his mind every time he saw them together, Naruto, Hinata-chan and their new baby. The same went for Sakura and Sasuke, of course. It would probably only get worse when their baby was born.

_They've all grown up so fast…_

Definitely the most stereotypical old-man-thought a person could think. Kakashi chuckled to himself.

He'd turned thirty-seven today, which wasn't all that old by civilian standards, but pretty impressive for a shinobi. The previous year on this very date it had occurred to him that he'd just turned older than his father had been when he'd ended his life. The thought had made him feel ancient.

Sighing, Kakashi closed his calendar. He was done for the night. Time to go home, fall into bed and sleep, so he would be ready to face a bazillion more meetings in the morning.

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi had pushed his chair back and was about to get up when Shizune poked her head into the office. "Ah, you're still here!" She sounded relieved; that wasn't a good sign. It probably meant more work.

"What is it?" Maybe he sounded grouchy, but that was only fitting for an old man, wasn't it? Either way Shizune didn't seem the least bit discouraged. Well, she _had _worked under Tsunade…

"Mitokado-sama and Utatane-sama are here to see you."Although her tone was perfectly neutral – the two old bats were probably standing right behind her, eavesdropping – Shizune's raised eyebrows told him that he wasn't the only one surprised by their visit.

Kakashi weighed his options. He was Hokage. He could send them away, tell them to come back some other time, and go home, but he was curious now. Those two… After the war they'd taken his "suggestion" to withdraw from official business; they'd retired without a fuss, for which he'd been quite grateful. For the last couple of years since then they'd been leading quiet lives in the village, no meddling that he was aware of. What could they want from him now? Only one way to find out.

"Show them in."

Shizune nodded and withdrew. His ears pricked, Kakashi listened for voices on the other side of the double doors. Nothing but the faintest whispers. Bracing himself, he settled back into his chair.

Their entrance was silent and dignified.

Homura-san came in first, pausing to hold the door open for Koharu-san. They bowed as soon as they were in front of his desk, both of them lowering their white heads in unison.

Kakashi cleared his throat. For once he was painfully aware of the Hokage Monument visible through the window behind him. Although it was shrouded in darkness right now, he still had the sensation of the cold stone gazes boring into his back. "What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Hokage-sama, we must apologize for troubling you at this late hour. We will not keep you long," Homura said.

_If you really want to save time, you should just get to the point,_ Kakashi thought. Aloud he answered, "Ah, please, it's no trouble."

"We need a signature on a document," Koharu said, putting a slim scroll on Kakashi's desk. She unrolled it briskly, as if she couldn't wait to get this over with, and all but shoved it towards him. "Here." Her gnarled finger indicated a single black line at the bottom of the document.

Did she honestly expect him to sign it without reading it first?

Kakashi frowned at the open scroll, his eyes scanning the neat black characters above the line where his signature was supposed to go. He froze. Despite years of shinobi training, he couldn't keep his eyes from widening when he read the title of the document. _Certificate of Marriage._

_You've got to be kidding me._

Kakashi had signed his fair share of these during his time in office, but he'd never expected—

And their signatures were already on it, too. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. He looked at them standing in front of him, their faces schooled into matching neutral expressions.

_They're what? Close to eighty? Why do this now?_

He couldn't ask; it wasn't any of his business. Kakashi picked up a pen, signed the document and watched as Koharu rolled up the scroll and put it into her pocket. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said and Kakashi nodded and replied, "Congratulations."

For the life of him he couldn't think of anything else to say.

* * *

><p>"It's not that surprising if you really think about it," Shizune said when he told her. "I mean, they only have each other." She leaned forward, keys in hand, to lock the office doors and the light from the lamps in the hallway bathed her profile in a warm yellow glow that made her look far younger than her years.<p>

He considered her words and the soft look in her eyes. What could a marriage certificate mean after the time those two had spent together? By now it was just a piece of paper. Why even bother?

Kakashi thought of saying as much to Shizune, but she was done locking up and was flicking through the hand signs to activate the trap jutsu as if on autopilot.

"Give my regards to my esteemed predecessor when you see her tonight," he said instead, delighting in the faint blush that instantly appeared on Shizune's cheeks.

"How did you—"

"Call it intuition," he said to her flushed face and smiled with his eyes closed like he used to whenever he wanted people to think he didn't have a care in the world.

* * *

><p>Out on the street he walked like a civilian, no dashing across rooftops, no darting into the shadows, just a regular guy, hunching his shoulders against the first nip of fall in the air.<p>

He knew where he would go, always the same route after a long day at the office. It was eleven; he had one hour left of his birthday, but he'd follow his usual routine nonetheless. He'd stop by Gai's place to see if the light was on, if he was home.

Checking the mission reports this afternoon, Kakashi hadn't been able to find Gai's – not surprising since he wasn't scheduled to return for another day. He always looked anyway, automatically, whenever Gai wasn't in the village. Flipping through report after report, trying to ignore the weight in his chest that only grew bigger with every piece of paper without Gai's name on it going into his out box.

* * *

><p>They argued about it in the beginning. After the war, after Gai had recovered enough to talk about returning to active duty – which had been the very day he woke up from his coma – they had long, draining discussions. Kakashi was the first one to actually say the word. <em>Retirement.<em> It had hung in the room between them, Gai's sterile white hospital room, and was followed by deafening silence.

_No,_ Gai said with as much force as could be put into one small syllable.

_You can't—_was as far as Kakashi got. Of course it had been a mistake to say even that much. To Gai those words would always be a challenge.

And in the end Gai won like he always did.

* * *

><p>The lights in Gai's living room were on. Seeing them from across the street, Kakashi felt his spirits lift, relief flooding his system. It could be Lee, he told himself, just Lee, using his spare key to water Gai's plants. But it was late at night, too late for it to be Lee who was a diligent student, not to mention a married man with a wife waiting for him at home, so no matter how much Kakashi tried to prepare for disappointment, his heart didn't listen. Already it was beating much more lightly as though freed from invisible constraints.<p>

Kakashi let himself in – Lee wasn't the only one with a spare key. Calling out to Gai, he stepped into his friend's ground floor apartment and waited for a reply as he felt around for the light switch.

"Kakashi!" There it was, Gai's voice accompanied by the rubbery squeak of wheels on hardwood floor. "I knew you'd come!"

"Did you now?" Kakashi drawled, pretend boredom covering his grin better than his mask. He tried to look it too, relaxed his shoulders and leaned against the wall to remove his sandals.

Gai, shooting down the hallway towards him like an avalanche, was beaming nonetheless. "Happy Birthday!" he shouted and already Kakashi caught sight the colorfully wrapped package resting in his lap. So much for having been forgotten. Kakashi couldn't help smiling.

He took a step back because he was barefoot on the cold floor now and Gai had a tendency to wheel right onto people's toes. No way to escape Gai, though. Before he knew it, Kakashi's arm was snatched in Gai's iron grip and he was pulled down. The wheelchair made hugging awkward but it didn't stop Gai from trying.

"Oi! Careful!" Kakashi squirmed. Gai was holding on tightly; as usual the weird angle of their embrace threatened to make Kakashi lose his balance. With some effort he disentangled himself.

"So, how was your mission?" he asked Gai who only waved dismissively.

"Forget about that, rival! Open your present!"

Kakashi sighed, eying the package Gai was practically shoving into his face. Far too colorful for his taste, and the bright purple bow on top of it clashed with the yellow and orange of the paper.

"Fine." He accepted the gift and began opening it by pulling off individual strips of scotch tape while Gai made faces at him.

"Who unwraps presents this way? It's infuriating! Just tear off the paper!"

"Huh, did you say something?"

"Argh! Kakashi!"

Ignoring Gai, Kakashi pulled off the last strip and folded back the paper, only to realize that the content was just as colorful as the wrapping.

Thanks to their long friendship, Kakashi was a veteran at accepting Gai's gifts by now. He forced a smile and unfolded the hideous piece of clothing. It was a bright red Yukata, inexplicably decorated with a pattern of galloping green horses.

"Ah… thank you very much," he said, holding the garment as far away from his body as possible. "That pattern is really interesting…"

"Isn't it though?! I thought the same thing! I saw it and it reminded me of you, so I bought it! Ah, I knew you'd like it!" Filled with pride, Gai sat up ramrod straight in his wheelchair. His grin was sparkly and terrifying.

_How exactly did this ugly thing remind you of me? _

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Now—"

"Let's go out and celebrate!"

"Actually, I'd rather not."

"Why?! It's your birthday, Kakashi!" Gai pointed at him in accusation.

"It's late – my birthday's almost over anyway – and I have to get up early tomorrow. Hokage, remember?"

Gai's face fell. The Hokage line always got him. "Argh… Don't tell me you're leaving already?"

"Only if you're kicking me out."

"I would never!"

"Then… you got any drinks? A movie? I'm kinda tired, but I'd like us to hang out for a bit. It's been a while…"

It hadn't, really, but Kakashi got that feeling every time Gai left the village on a mission.

Kakashi's line restored Gai's smile anyway. He scratched his chin as if in deep thought. "Hmm, there's beer in the fridge and I think I've still got a video I haven't watched yet."

"I'll go get the beer then," Kakashi said and went past Gai into the kitchen before the other man could change his mind.

* * *

><p>When Kakashi got to the living-room, a six-pack of beer and all the snacks he'd found in his arms, Gai had already settled down on the couch, his wheelchair left empty within arms' reach. Kakashi put the snacks on the couch table, tossed Gai a beer and glanced at the TV screen which glowed in an ominous dark blue until, slowly, as if surfacing from the bottom of the ocean, white characters appeared, spelling out, <em>Terror from the Deep<em>.

"Another monster movie, huh?" He'd hoped for a romantic comedy – something that'd give him the opportunity to bring up the elders and their strange request – slim chance with Gai picking the movie though.

"Giant squid," Gai said with the deep satisfaction of someone who knew that when he'd been at one of life's crossroads, he'd made the best possible choice.

"I don't suppose it's going to fall in love with anyone…?" He dared to inject some mock hopefulness into his tone and was instantly shot down.

"Don't be stupid, Kakashi! It eats people. Come on, sit down."

Why so impatient? Kakashi remained where he was, his eyes glued to the screen. He watched the title fade into the blue. Then the camera zoomed out and a ship appeared on the horizon. He sighed once more and, careful not to trip over the low table, took a few steps backwards towards the couch. Before sitting down, he undid the hidden clasps on his armored vest and took it off. Then he settled into the cushions.

Or so he'd thought.

There was the sound of crinkling paper and the sensation of sitting down on something hard and angular.

"Huh?" He lifted his butt and pulled out the small, flat object.

Next to him Gai was sipping his beer, seemingly engrossed in the movie, but Kakashi caught his gaze when it slid off the screen to dart over.

"What's this?" he asked as he turned the thing over in his hands, examining it in the cool blue light coming from the television.

"Oh, that?" Gai acted bored; he was bad at it. Kakashi could hear the slight tremor of excitement. "It's my other present. I forgot to give it to you earlier." Now he was trying for nonchalance. He'd never been able to pull that off.

A prank?

Kakashi wasn't sure.

The object in his hands was about the size of an envelope but heavier and a little thicker. It was wrapped in simple white paper, no bow or other decorations. Definitely not Gai's usual style.

Kakashi could feel Gai's eyes on him, but when he turned his head, Gai was staring intently at the television screen. Too intently.

The room was filled with the tinny chatter of sailors. They were laughing about the rumor of a giant, man-eating squid.

With no other options left to him, Kakashi began to unwrap his second present, even more carefully than the first one. The tension in the room was palpable, rising with every strip of scotch tape Kakashi peeled away oh-so-slowly.

On the screen the camera panned to an extremely handsome seaman standing by the railing while staring into the waves with a dark, foreboding look in his eyes.

"Aaah, I wonder what this could be…" If it was a gag-exploding tag, Kakashi was sure his reflexes would be good enough to throw it in Gai's lap before it could go off.

_You really should know better than to try this kind of stuff with the Hokage, Gai-kun…_

Once the strips of adhesive tape holding it together were gone, Kakashi tore the wrapping off in one quick movement and—

The light from the TV gave the metal plate he was holding in the palm of his hand a soft blue glow, pooling into a darker shade in its center where the symbol was. The leaf.

Kakashi gripped the forehead protector with both hands, allowing the leather band to fall freely past his knees. The ends of the belt grazed the floor. Unconsciously, Kakashi was stroking the soft worn material. He made himself stop and looked up. His throat was tight, constricting around words he couldn't possibly say.

"Hokage-sama, I'm retiring," Gai said solemnly. He'd pressed pause on the remote when Kakashi wasn't looking, and the screen was frozen to an image of a single tentacle breaching the ocean's surface. Kakashi stared at that tentacle, transfixed. It was less absurd than what he was hearing.

"But I'm giving you this as a wildcard! If you ever need me, just say the word and I'll jump into the fray for you! No questions asked, that's a promise," Gai went on, grinning and flashing Kakashi his signature thumbs up.

"Gai…" Kakashi was shocked by his own breathless voice, his inability to form a sentence. His fingers were gripping the forehead protector so hard it hurt, his nails digging into the leather of the belt. Gai had worn this on that day – of course the belt had burned to ashes and had been replaced but the hitai ate itself was still the same; it had fallen off before it could melt in the heat of Gai's body. Later they'd found it, recognized the registration number etched into its underside, and Gai had worn it again. He'd insisted.

_I'll never give up on being a shinobi! Never! You'll have to pry this from my cold, dead hands!_

_This isn't the time to spout melodramatic lines, Gai… For once you have to look at your situation realistically. _

Kakashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing the memory to fade. Gai's forehead protector was heavy in his hands; it felt warm, as though the dense metal had soaked up the heat of Gai's body over the years – the heat of the eighth gate.

_Why now?_

As if he'd heard the unspoken question, Gai went on in his usual jovial manner, "There's an opening at the academy; I thought I might take it. After all, what could be better than shaping Konoha's future by teaching its splendid youth?"

His throat was still tight so Kakashi cleared it. "Thanks," he said. He folded up the belt and slipped the forehead protector under his sweatshirt, into the hidden pocket over his pounding heart. Its weight lay against his chest and that imagined warmth seemed to seep through the fabric into him.

"You're pretty lucky, aren't you, Kakashi? To have a guy like me as your backup?" Gai was laughing. Lit by the bluish light from the TV, his face looked pale and strangely fragile. His eyes were sharp and alert, watching Kakashi for his reaction.

"Yeah," he said after a beat, "I really am."

For years Kakashi had been waiting for that feeling to fall away like the burden it was. The tension in his shoulders, a stiffness that set in whenever he handed out a mission, knowing it would go to _him._

He'd been terrified of Gai not coming back, of them finding his body with the mission scroll tucked into his vest and Kakashi's signature on it.

Now that it was gone, he felt like he too was breaching the surface of a deep, dark ocean, only he didn't know if he still remembered how to breathe. He needed a moment.

Gai slapped his back so hard, Kakashi thought he could hear his spine rearrange itself. He gasped.

"What are you making such a weird face for, rival? We're about to watch an awesome movie! Pay attention!"

"Alright, alright," Kakashi mumbled and settled back into the cushions. Gai pressed a button on the remote and the giant squid came to life again. Its tentacles waved around, causing the sailors to curse and scream and run around in headless confusion to ever-swelling music until the extremely handsome one started yelling at them to get the harpoons.

After a few seconds he felt the familiar weight of Gai's arm settle around his shoulders.

Kakashi breathed.

Old age really _was_ making him sappy.

* * *

><p>He spent almost the whole duration of the movie helping Gai tell the characters apart – the only one he really could remember was the squid – and making snarky comments about the protagonist's poor life choices – <em>So his great-grandfather, his grandparents, his father and his second cousin were all killed by giant squids? And it never occurred to him to, I don't know, not become a fisherman of all things? <em>

In the end when Gai was asleep next to him, his head on Kakashi's shoulder, his snores tickling Kakashi's ear, Kakashi watched as the handsome fisherman sacrificed himself, diving deep into the sea to drive his harpoon into the beast. He kept watching their slow descent. The young man entwined in palpitating tentacles finally looked at peace.

_Huh_, Kakashi thought, shifting to feel the comforting weight against his chest, the weight of a promise he knew would be kept. He would leave his office the next day and Gai's light would be on when he walked by. It would be on the day after that and the one after _that_.

_I guess it was a love story after all._


End file.
